Collection of Durst LLCs donate $160K to attorney general candidates

Using eight different limited liability companies, the Durst Organization donated $150,000 to Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s campaign for New York attorney general.

Six LLCs owned by the developer each contributed $21,000 to the Democrat, and a seventh threw in $14,000, Crain’s reported. An eighth LLC donated another $10,000. One of the companies also gave Public Advocate Letitia James — the current frontrunner for the Democratic nomination who is aligned with Gov. Andrew Cuomo — $10,000.

Because New York recognizes each LLC as an individual person, the developer avoided limits on individual and corporate donations. Each LLC was permitted to donate up to $65,000. Such workarounds have long drawn the ire of ethics advocates, who’ve argued that the loophole disproportionately favors real estate companies since they often maintain LLCs for each property.